Rand Paul riles his GOP colleagues again — this time over TikTok

Rand’s got a new stand: Banning TikTok will backfire on the GOP with young voters.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who’s shown repeatedly that he’ll stretch chamber rules to their limits in order to be heard, is warning the rest of the GOP about the electoral price it might pay for yanking one of their favorite apps. And as Congress splits over banning TikTok, Paul’s argument is the latest bad sign for Republican China hawks who want to rein it in.

When it comes to the Chinese-owned TikTok, lawmakers are divided into three camps — none of them traditionally partisan. One group of national security hawks, led by House Republicans, wants to ban the video app as quickly as possible. Others in both parties want to address data privacy more holistically without singling out TikTok. Then there’s Paul, who aligns with progressives in opposing a ban.